Sig Legion Series - At the start of our series on traditional semi-auto double/single action, my plan was to try out several popular DA/SA platforms and give my impressions of each. There really aren't many options to choose from, especially if you limit your selection to compact pieces suitable for everyday wear, so I didn't think it would take too long to wade through all the main contenders. Well, I was wrong. I started with some of Beretta's offerings, and basically stayed there for a few months because, frankly, they worked really well for me and I wasn't in a rush to switch to something new. Moreover, I'd like to cover some of the "software" topics related to DA/SA shooting, as well as other self-defense topics, rather than throwing out a long string of gear reviews.
For now, I'll probably stick to Berettas for carry and practice, splitting time between a PX4 compact, a Wilson Combat 92G compact carry, and a full size 92G. That said, I'm still making room to try some other dual action, though probably spread out over a longer period of time than I originally planned. Sig Sauer's classic P220 series was next on the list of pistols to evaluate, and I went straight to the top of their product offerings with the Sig Sauer P229 Legion series. Detailed video review with full transcript below.
Sig Legion Series
The Sig P229 Legion is one of three pistols that Sig Sauer introduced with the launch of the Legion series last year. These are factory semi-custom variants of classic Sig pistols with some premium features you won't find on standard models. Some of these features include improved front strap checkering, a tapered trigger guard, G10 grips, a modified action and trigger, a low-profile slide release lever and lever, and high-visibility night sights. This is the 9mm version of the P229, but is also available in .40 S&W and .357 Sig.
Tactical Corner Inc
Since starting my experiments with traditional double actions earlier this year, most of the guns I talk about here have been berets. So far I definitely have a preference for the Beretta, but there are some other good options out there. Sig Sauer is Beretta's equal in terms of overall quality and reputation and the P229 Legion is considered to represent the best they have to offer right now for a double action carry pistol.
These guns have been around for about a year, so there are already plenty of other reviews and videos and discussions online, and one topic that keeps coming up is whether the Legion series is worth the extra cost. This gun is roughly $300 more than the standard P229, so the Legion stuff adds about 33% to the price.
That in itself has turned some people off, but what doesn't help much is that Sig's marketing for the Legion series is ... a little over the top. They make a big deal out of this whole warrior lifestyle thing and the gun comes with an exclusive Legion Club membership. Honestly, I think Sig may be underestimating the level of cynicism in the shooting community as a lot of people seem to buy into the idea that "Legion" is just code for "Extra".
I can see why people would think that. Adding all these extra features to a standard Sig can cost well over $300, but if you don't really need or want these features, the Legion pistols can seem like a ripoff. But I will argue that, despite the self-indulgent marketing, Legion pistols actually have some very well thought out features that some people will really appreciate.
Sig Sauer P365 Xl Spectre: Review
I've put about 1000 rounds through this mark in the last few weeks, including my weekend at the Rangemaster Advanced Instructor Course in Texas. I've shot other double action sigs in the past, but this is the first one I've done a serious evaluation of. Coming from a Beretta pistol, one of the things I miss right now is a slide mounted decker. A lot of people don't like that Beretta design, but you can't holster the Sig without breaking your support bracket - I like having the ability to lean back when I'm off target and keep the gun low at the ready without break my grip. . So for me this is a slight advantage of the Beretta.
Another is that in my hands, the Sig's double-action trigger feels like it breaks a bit farther than the Beretta. This is not a major drawback of the P229 Legion, as it has a very smooth trigger, but I have to be more careful with my trigger pull on targets beyond about 20 yards.
In all other respects, the trigger on this gun is outstanding. The trigger itself is a Gregans Intermediate Adjustable Trigger and has Sig Short Reset upgrades and a polished and tuned action. This translates to simple trigger manipulation in rapid-fire bursts when actually shooting. When you combine that with decent recoil and a bright green daylight-visible front sight, it doesn't take much for an experienced shooter to make quick and accurate hits with this gun.
Bench rest accuracy was really impressive. I fired several five-round groups at 25 yards and got the best results with 124-grain Federal HST and 115-grain Spear Gold Dot, and accuracy wasn't bad with the full-metal-jacketed daily practice ammo either.
Sig Legion Iwb
Using this gun in instructor classes, checking the front strap and G10 grips gave me a noticeable advantage when shooting with sweaty hands all day in the Texas summer heat. But I think a more useful upgrade is the undercut trigger guard. This allows for a little more grip on the gun and is also useful for getting a consistent full shooting grip before pulling it out of the holster. That little indentation gives you some tactile confirmation that your hand is as high as it can go on the front bar.
The low-profile slide lock helps prevent a problem common with classic Sigs, where a strong hand's thumb inadvertently engages the slide lock, preventing the slide from staying open on an empty magazine. I've had this problem with Sigs before, but it wasn't a problem with the P229 Soldier. One side effect to watch out for is that the small lever is a bit difficult to activate when reloading the slide lock, so you may have to practice until you get it right or use the firing rack method. Slide
The Rangemaster Instructor Course was a great place to try this gun because almost all of the shooting we did was test scored or practice for a test. So I had plenty of opportunities to find out if this gun would do what I needed it to do. For the most part, I didn't feel handicapped at all using the 229, even though I didn't spend much time with it before class. At the 25-yard line, I would have been a little more comfortable with the Beretta, but in more general self-defense fields, the P229 Legion was an excellent performer. The score I got in that class is a pretty honest indication of where my skill level is now and I don't think I could have done better with any other gun.
So I like the P229 Legion, but is it worth the extra cost? Well, really, it's hard for me to say since I have no previous experience with other dual action characters. Whether it's worth paying a third more for these features will have a lot to do with personal preference and your budget. But I will say this - if you can't shoot now, dropping $1200 on a Sig Legion isn't going to change that. Some people have money to burn and want a nice gun just to have a nice gun, and that's okay. But if your resources are more limited and you hope this gun will help you shoot better, these small additions and improvements will make little difference unless you can already achieve respectable performance with a normal stock. a gun
Test: Sig Sauer P320 X Five Legion
If you're a serious shooter and want a double action, you probably already have a good idea if you can benefit from the features that the Sig Legion series has to offer. For people in that camp, I feel comfortable saying that most of these features are really well executed. Personally, if I was going to invest in a Sig rig, I might consider one
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